Organization of American States - National Model United Nations

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The Inter-American Democratic Charter was adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS at its special session held in Lima, Peru, on September 11, 2001. 20 It states that “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” 21 This Charter sets representative democracy as a hemispheric standard that should be followed. 22 It therefore mentions various essential elements of a representative democracy with respect for human rights and periodic, free and fair elections being two of them. To defend democracy in the region, the Charter presents incentives as well as sanctions and Member States may request assistance from the Secretary-General or the General Assembly of the OAS. 23 Structure of the OAS Promoting democracy, defending human rights, ensuring a multidimensional approach to security, fostering integral development and prosperity, and supporting inter-American legal cooperation are the organizations main working areas. These areas are also represented by the different organs of the OAS amongst others, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Juridical Committee. 24 The main organ of the OAS is the General Assembly. 25 The functions of the General Assembly are described in Chapter IX of the Charter of the OAS. Article 54 states that it is the “supreme organ of the Organization of American States.” 26 The General Assembly consists of the delegations of all the Member States and each State has the right to one vote as stated in Article 56. 27 Participation is a right for all Member States of the OAS. 28 The General Assembly decides the general action and policy of the OAS as is stated in the Charter of the OAS. 29 The Permanent Council and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development report to the General Assembly. 30 The Permanent Council consists of several different committees and assists Member States in the peaceful settlement of disputes. 31 Each Member State has a representative in this Council. 32 The Inter-American Council for Integral Development consists of different committees and advances the cooperation amongst its Member States to eliminate extreme poverty as one of its main goals. 33 Current Challenges The OAS faces many different challenges. The General Assembly of the OAS declared the year 2011 as the Inter- American Year of Culture. 34 Draft resolution 2011 from the Forty-first Regular Session of the General Assembly calls upon the Member States to fully participate in the Inter-American Year of Culture. 35 The Sixth Summit of the Americas will be held in 2012 in Colombia. 36 The Member States of the OAS already started negotiations in order to address the most important and urgent topics at the summit. 37 A topic that is in discussion right before the summit is the topic of natural disasters. 38 Therefore regional experts gathered at the OAS headquarters to discuss ways to cope with natural disasters as well as risk management. 39 20 Organization of American States, Democratic Charter. 21 Organization of American States, Democratic Charter. 22 Levitt, A Desultory Defense of Democracy, 2006, p. 95. 23 Levitt, A Desultory Defense of Democracy, 2006, p. 96. 24 Organization of American States, Our Structure. 25 Organization of American States, General Assembly. 26 Organization of American States, Multilateral Treaties. 27 Organization of American States, Multilateral Treaties. 28 Ball, The OAS in transition, 1969, p.123. 29 Organization of American States, Multilateral Treaties. 30 Organization of American States, Councils. 31 Organization of American States, Councils. 32 Organization of American States, Councils. 33 Organization of American States, Councils. 34 Organization of American States, About the Year. 35 Organization of American States, General Assembly. 36 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-843/11. 37 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-843/11. 38 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-881/11. 39 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-881/11.
Another current challenge for the OAS today is inequality in Latin America as stated by José Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS. 40 Democracy in Latin America is much more developed and present than before, but nevertheless inequality as well as racial and gender discrimination are problems that persist. 41 This inequality poses a challenge, because it is incompatible with democracy. 42 Committee History Annotated Bibliography Connell-Smith, Gordon. (1966). The inter-American system. London: Oxford Univ. Press: This book gives a general view on the evolutionary history of the OAS. Delegates should still keep in mind, that this book was published in 1966 and therefore does not show the structure of the OAS from today. It is still very helpful in order to understand the structure of the organization and concepts that were discussed at that time. Levitt, Barry S. (2006). A Desultory Defense of Democracy: OAS Resolution 1080 and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Latin American Politics and Society. 48 (3): 93-123 This article mentions basic structures and developments of the OAS and gives a broad overview of this organization. The main emphasize lies in the explanation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Delegates can find out a lot about the historic evolvement and circumstances and will find good explanations about the meaning and the content of this charter. Organization of American States, Media Center. Retrieved October 13, 2011 from http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_releases.asp This Web site gives access to various kinds of current and older information. It is possible to read press releases as well as speeches that were held by the Secretary General and other authorities or OAS officials. Delegates can follow the latest news about the OAS and topics that are discussed at the moment. Furthermore there are news clips concerning the OAS that can be accessed through this site. Organization of American States. Multilateral Treaties. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from http://www.oas.org/dil/treaties_A-41_Charter_of_the_Organization_of_American_States.htm The Charter of the OAS is one of the most important documents for the OAS. On this Web site delegates can access the full publication of the Charter which was signed in 1948. It gives a great overview on the functions of the OAS as well as its organs and the relationship with the United Nations. Organization of American States. Our History. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from: http://www.oas.org/en/about/our_history.asp This Web site states the history of the OAS in detail and helps to get a better understanding of this organization. It also outlines the changes the organization went through and its role in history. It mentions different conferences that where of importance for the development of the OAS as it is known today. 40 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-849/11. 41 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-849/11. 42 Organization of American States, Media Center. Press Release E-849/11.
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